At least five people have been killed and dozens have been injured in an explosion targeting a school bus in Huzdhar, Balochistan, officials say.
At least five people were killed in an explosion targeting a school bus in Kuzdar district of Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province, the military said.
Khuzdar government official Yasir Iqbal Dashti said at least 38 people were injured in the attack on Wednesday.
“The school bus was in the Army Public Schools because it had children on the morning of suicide bombings,” he told Al Jazeera.
In a statement, the Pakistani military condemned the violence and denounced “Indian terrorist proxy” for its involvement in the attack. They did not share any evidence in favour of the claim.
There were no immediate comments from New Delhi.
At least three children and two adults were killed in the attack, the Army said in a statement.
Interior Minister Mohshin Nakvi condemned the attack near the Zero Point area of Kuzdar and expressed “deep sadness and sadness” towards those killed.
“The enemy attacked innocent children in the wild bar. The attack on the school bus is a vicious conspiracy of the enemy to create domestic instability,” he said in a statement.
Officials said the severity of the explosion could lead to an increase in deaths.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Rich in minerals and natural resources, Balochistan was home to decades of conflict between the government calling for its departure from Pakistan and the Baroque national separatists.
Wednesday’s attack came days after the bombing of cars killed four people near the market in Kira Abdullah in Balochistan.
Many attacks in the state have been claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). This says Pakistan enjoyed supporting its neighbouring India.
In one of the deadliest attacks, the Bla Fighters killed 33, almost soldiers, during an attack on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan in March.
Earlier this week, the BLA promised more attacks on the “Pakistani military and its collaborators” and said its goal was to “lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan.”
The armed groups are also active in Balochistan, and it is rare for separatists to target school children in the state, but such attacks have been taking place in the northwest of the country’s resting areas in recent years.
While most schools and universities in Pakistan are run by the government or the private sector, the military operates a considerable number of institutions for both civilian children and army staff.
In December 2014, the armed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targeted the AP of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where more than 140 children were killed.
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